Yoon's approval rating hits new low amid controversies over personnel appointments

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating has sunk to the lowest since he took office in May, amid controversies over his personnel appointments and leadership turmoil in the ruling party, a poll showed Friday. Yoon's approval rating came to 24 percent, down 4 percentage points from the previous week, while 66 percent negatively assessed his handling of state affairs, up 4 percentage points. The poll was conducted by Gallup Korea on 1,001 voters nationwide from Tuesday to Thursday. Yoo

Aug. 5, 2022

Former South Chungcheong governor finishes prison term

Former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung was discharged from prison on Thursday after he completed a 3 1/2 year-long prison term for raping his female secretary. An, who came out of the Yeoju Correctional Institution in Gyeonggi Province early in the morning, was greeted by some 60 friends and acquaintances who were waiting in front of the prison. The former governor was convicted on charges of sexually assaulting an official under his charge and sexual assault through abuse o

Aug. 4, 2022

Police bureau launched amid ongoing controversy

A new police bureau under the Interior Ministry was finally launched on Tuesday amid fierce opposition from police officers, represented by the National Police Commission. The NPC expressed regret and warned of legal action against the ministry for not going through the deliberation and resolution process. Senior Superintendent-General Kim Sun-ho, the head of the National Security Investigation Bureau under the National Office of Investigation at the National Police Agency, became the chief of

Aug. 2, 2022

S. Korea’s ruling party to hold national committee, shift to emergency leadership

The ruling People Power Party, which has been embroiled in an internal power struggle over its leadership, is expected to appoint interim party leaders soon. The ruling party on Tuesday decided to convene a meeting of the party‘s national committee, in which it would discuss switching to an emergency leadership system, where they are also likely to appoint interim party runners. A national committee meeting is expected to take place as early as Friday or next week. Four out of seven

Aug. 2, 2022

Presidential office to look into allegation of Buddhist figure if necessary

A presidential official said Tuesday it will look into an allegation of influence peddling by a Buddhist figure, who has reportedly claimed close ties with President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee. The official made the remark after a Chosun Ilbo newspaper report that the Buddhist figure allegedly claimed he can use his connections with the first couple to help people get out of tax probes or exert influence on personnel appointments. "If deemed necessary, we will check the facts

Aug. 2, 2022

Ruling party leadership poised to get overhaul, making Lee Jun-seok’s return unlikely

A growing wave of resignations at the top of the ruling People Power Party is setting the mood for a shake-up of leadership. The looming shift would leave out the party’s embattled chair Lee Jun-seok, who remains in exile over ongoing allegations that he accepted sexual favors and then tried to cover it up. The party called a meeting Monday and reached a “nearly unanimous decision” to transition to an interim leadership. Following the meeting, the floor spokesperson Rep. Yan

Aug. 1, 2022

Yoon calls off travel plans, stays at home during vacation

President Yoon Suk-yeol has decided not to travel to provincial regions for this week's vacation and will instead remain in Seoul to mull how to navigate through the current political turmoil, officials at the ruling party and the presidential office said Monday. The decision came as Yoon's approval ratings have been unusually low -- below 30 percent in some surveys -- for a president less than three months in office, as the economic situation worsens and leadership turmoil deepens at

Aug. 1, 2022

Yoon's approval rating slips to 33.1%

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating sank below 30 percent in the wake of the embarrassing disclosure of a controversial text conversation with the ruling party floor leader, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 1,003 voters nationwide conducted by pollster Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), 28.9 percent said Yoon was doing well on state affairs, down 3.3 percentage points from the previous week, while those who gave a negative assessment rose 4 percentage points from a week ago

Aug. 1, 2022

Can Yoon find ways to salvage his approval rating?

Yoon Suk-yeol has shrugged off the decline in his approval ratings, but as they fall below 30 percent, he faces an uphill battle if he wants to get public opinion on his side. According to a poll released by Gallup Korea on Friday, which surveyed 1,000 people from July 26-28, only 28 percent of the respondents said Yoon was doing well. Personnel management accounts for the biggest part of the decline in approval ratings. Alongside his Cabinet, dominated by former prosecutors and figures e

July 31, 2022

Another ruling party lawmaker quits Supreme Council

Another ruling party lawmaker quit the party's Supreme Council on Sunday amid speculation it could lead to the party switching to a collective leadership system from the one-man leadership of acting chairman Kweon Seong-dong. Rep. Cho Su-jin of the People Power Party (PPP) told reporters that she stepped down as a council member, two days after the resignation of Rep. Bae Hyun-jin from the council. "I am stepping down as Supreme Council member to take responsibility for the stern warni

July 31, 2022

Elementary school entry age to be lowered to five

Starting as early as 2025, all children in South Korea will likely be allowed to enter elementary school one year earlier, according to an education ministry report Friday. Reporting this year's key policy plans to President Yoon Suk-yeol, the ministry said it will soon begin full-fledged discussions on lowering the school starting age from six to five. Yoon told Education Minister Park Soon-ae during the policy report to "quickly come up with measures to lower the school starting age

July 29, 2022

PPP lawmaker quits Supreme Council in apparent bid to switch to collective leadership system

A ruling party lawmaker quit the party's Supreme Council on Friday amid speculation it could lead to the party switching to a collective leadership system from the one-man leadership of acting chairman Kweon Seong-dong following the embarrassing disclosure of his texts with President Yoon Suk-yeol. Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party said she will step down as a council member, saying the party has failed to live up to people's expectations for the past 80 days since the inaugu

July 29, 2022

Yoon's approval rating sinks below 30% amid inflation, controversy over personnel appointments

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating fell to a new low, going below 30 percent for the first time, amid soaring inflation and controversy over personnel appointments, a poll showed Friday. In the poll of 1,000 voters nationwide conducted by pollster Gallup Korea between Tuesday and Thursday, 28 percent said Yoon was doing well on state affairs, while 62 percent gave a negative assessment. It was the first time that Yoon's approval rating has sunk below 30 percent since he took office in May

July 29, 2022

3 candidates shortlisted for main opposition party's leadership race

The main opposition Democratic Party on Thursday announced that it shortlisted three candidates, including the party's former presidential candidate, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, for its new chairperson.  Rep. Park Yong-jin and Rep. Kang Hoon-sik were also shortlisted as candidates seeking to be the DP's new leader, the party said, without disclosing the number of votes they received.  Lee told reporters his shortlisting "understands that our DP means to become a competent alternative p

July 28, 2022

Top court confirms conviction of ex-presidential aides for destroying 2007 inter-Korean summit minutes

The Supreme Court on Thursday finalized suspended prison terms handed down to two former presidential officials for destroying the minutes of the 2007 inter-Korean summit to cover up then President Roh Moo-hyun's alleged offer to surrender the de facto western sea border. Upholding a lower court's ruling, the top court sentenced Baek Jong-chun and Cho Myoung-gyon -- national security aides for the late former president -- to one year in prison, suspended for two years. The ruling comes

July 28, 2022

Poland set to purchase Korea’s weapon systems worth W10tr

Poland is set to purchase an estimated 10 trillion won ($7.6 billion) of South Korean arms, including FA-50 light attack aircraft, a Defense Ministry joint press corps report said Wednesday. This will be the first time Korean military aircraft have been sold in Europe. Poland will also purchase K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers. The Polish government said Wednesday that it signed a framework agreement to acquire 980 K2 tanks and 648 K9 self-propelled guns, including 48 FA-50 light a

July 27, 2022

Yoon launches Presidential Committee of National Unity

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday launched a presidential committee tasked with promoting national unity across all sectors, including politics, the economy and culture.    The Presidential Committee of National Unity is the first panel directly under the president to be launched since Yoon's inauguration in May. It is headed by former Democratic Party leader Kim Han-gil and composed of 24 members, including professors, former lawmakers and artists.    "National un

July 27, 2022

Leaked text messages from Yoon stoke People Power Party rift

A leaked text message conversation between President Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling People Power Party floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong has laid bare what appears to be a rift with Lee Jun-seok, the party’s leader. The text messages were caught on camera by a reporter on Tuesday while Kweon was checking his phone during an interpellation session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. In the short exchange that was captured in the photograph, a contact shown as “President Yo

July 27, 2022

PPP floor leader apologizes over text conversation with president

The acting chairman of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has apologized after a text conversation he had with President Yoon Suk-yeol was caught on camera, in which Yoon was seen backbiting about suspended party chief Lee Jun-seok. PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong took over as acting chair of the party early this month after the party's ethics committee suspended Lee's party membership for six months over allegations of sexual bribery and a cover-up. On Tuesday, Kweon was caught on

July 27, 2022

Yoon slams police protest as 'serious breach of discipline'

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday collective action by police officers against the planned establishment of a police bureau under the interior ministry could amount to a "serious breach of national discipline." The remark came as the ministry and front-line police officers have clashed head-on over the police bureau plan, with senior superintendents gathering in protest and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min likening the collective action to a "coup." "Like the people, I

July 26, 2022